Jesus and the Church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22)

We suggested in previous studies that these seven churches had been chosen because they represented the types of churches that would be found throughout the Christian era. There is a similar structure to each letter in that each begins with a characteristic feature of Christ followed by his commendation of the church, his criticism of the church, his counsel to the church and his comfort for the church. Two churches (Smyrna and Philadelphia) are not criticised, and one church (Laodicea) is not commended.

If it were possible to arrange the seven churches in order of devotion to Christ, then the church in Laodicea would be the worst. The other candidate for this undesirable position is the church in Sardis, but at least there was a faithful remnant within her, unlike the church in Laodicea. The Lord Jesus has nothing good to say about the church in Laodicea. This verse is an appeal from the Lord of the Church to individuals in a decadent church in order to have fellowship with him. The tragedy of the Laodicean church is not just their spiritual blindness; it is the absence of the Saviour from their fellowship. And they do not seem to have noticed or cared!

The obvious question that arises from this letter is, ‘Was the church in Laodicea a true church?’ Later we will consider some of the criticisms that the Saviour makes of the church, and at first glance these features might cause us to conclude that it was not a true church. But the question is a different question from asking whether all the members were true believers, because it is possible that some of them were not. In support of the church being a true church are the following features:

(1) Christ himself calls it a church in the same way as he calls the other six churches true churches. (2) Christ states that he loves the church. The only other church of the seven that is told by Christ of his love is the one in Philadelphia, which received no criticism. Therefore Jesus says that he loves both the best and the worst churches of the seven. (3) To experience discipline is an evidence of membership of the family of God.

1. The city of Laodicea

Laodicea was located six miles from the city of Hierapolis, ten miles from the small town of Colosse, and about one hundred miles east of Ephesus – these locations existed in what is now called Turkey. It was a strategic location, with the great Roman road from Ephesus to the inland of Asia Minor running through its centre, as well as other major trade routes.

Christian churches already existed in Hierapolis, Colosse and Laodicea by the date of Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (Col. 4:13), indeed he mentions in Colossians 4:15-16 that he had written a letter, no longer extant, to the Laodiceans. Paul also mentions his intense prayer commitment for the church there despite the fact that he had not met them (Col. 2:1). It is likely that these churches had been founded by Epaphras because his concern for them is mentioned by Paul (Col. 4:13). It is also reasonable to assume that the doctrinal problem facing the church in Colosse had also troubled its neighbouring churches and could have been the root cause of the spiritual decline of the church in Laodicea.

Laodicea was a city with many famous landmarks, many of which the Lord Jesus alludes to in his letter to the church there. These include a thriving wool industry, a famous school of medicine particularly for eye problems, and a banking centre. It was so wealthy that when it suffered great damage because of an earthquake in AD 60, it did not need outside help from the Empire for rebuilding. It was self-sufficient, which was a good thing for the city, but it illustrates the problem with the church – it was also self-sufficient. We will come back to these features shortly.

2. The character of Christ (v. 14)

Jesus introduces himself as the ‘Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God’ (v. 14). I think these words stress three things about Jesus. As the ‘Amen’ he has the last word regarding a matter. As the faithful and true witness, he will give an accurate assessment of the situation. As ‘the beginning of the creation of God’, he has the power to do something about the situation. Depending on one’s personal state, this description would be either a threat or a comfort. It was a threat because it indicated that Jesus could remove their lamp stand, but it was a comfort to know that he had the power to resolve the situation.

3. The criticism by Christ (vv. 15-17)

To appreciate this point we need to know that a major lack in Laodicea was a suitable water supply. Hierapolis had hot springs famous for healing qualities and Colosse was known for its cool drinking water, but Laodicea did not have either. Instead water was carried from another location, via a six-mile long aqueduct that could not keep the water either hot or cold. This is the allusion in Christ’s statement that he would have them either cold or hot. These words do not refer to one’s spiritual temperature, in the sense of ‘hot’ being an ardent spiritual state and ‘cold’ indicating a backsliding state, but to the inability of the church members to provide spiritual healing or spiritual refreshment for the city. Their contribution to the city was equivalent to the tepid water that flowed along the aqueduct. They should have been conveying the gospel of Christ to their community, but because of their lukewarm spiritual state they were incapable of being used by Christ and faced the real possibility of losing their candlestick, graphically illustrated in the Saviour’s threat to spew them out of his mouth.

A second criticism that Jesus makes is that the church there seems to have read their providences as a sign of God’s blessing rather than symptoms of their spiritual problems. They were doing very well in material things. Of course, possessions in themselves are neutral; the possession of them can be a blessing or a means of backsliding. I read recently the opinion of John Wesley as to why revivals seem to burn out. He suggested that revivals produce converts, who then become hardworking and careful with money, which leads to a certain amount of prosperity, which then blinds them to their ongoing need of God, and the Spirit, who brought the revival, is grieved.

There is no hint of the problems encountered by the other six churches, such as persecution or false teaching. Rather the church was marked by self-sufficiency and complacency. So those to whom Christ is speaking were in a sad and potentially dangerous state – their spiritual ignorance had resulted in spiritual wretchedness, poverty, blindness and nakedness, with the looming prospect of their cessation as a church. But in his mercy the Lord Jesus draws near to the church.

4. The counsel of Christ

The Saviour uses various aspects of the city’s activities to illustrate the sad state of the church. Because of time, these features can only be summarised.

First, Jesus alludes to the banking system when he urges the church members to buy gold from him in order to be truly rich. This is in contrast to the opinion of the Laodiceans of themselves, for they thought they were rich already. It is not clear on what their assessment was based, but a reasonable suggestion is that they assumed their great material wealth was a sign of God’s favour. We are not told what Jesus’ promised wealth involved; perhaps it is a reference to spiritual blessings in general. Some commentators suggest that there is a reference here to future suffering (suffering and gold are linked in 1 Peter 1:7). It is the case that persecution of believers increased in that area in subsequent decades. Of course, when Jesus urges them to ‘buy gold’ from him, he is not suggesting that his blessings can be purchased by money; rather he is using the picture of trade that was common in the city.

Second, the wool industry is alluded to in Christ’s advice that they should buy from him fine raiment with which to clothe themselves. While this could be a reference to nakedness that requires the robe of righteousness given in justification, I think it more likely that it refers here to righteousness in the sense of holiness of life.

Third, the medical school is alluded to when Jesus tells them to buy from him eye salve in order for them to see clearly. They were spiritually blind to their poverty of Christian experience. In a sense, they were like the believers described in 2 Peter 1:9, who because of a lack of spiritual growth had become short-sighted, unable to see into the future. What the Saviour is promising to them is true spiritual vision, vision to see how to serve Christ and vision to look beyond the visible to heaven.

It is important for us to note the posture of Jesus as knocking at the door. Often this image of the Saviour knocking at the door is depicted as the Lord Jesus knocking in a gospel sense at the heart of a sinner. While there may be a sense in which that interpretation is useful in an applicatory sense, I do not think it fits with the context. Rather I would suggest that what we have here is the Master of the House (Jesus and the church) coming to deal with a church whose behaviour had brought it to the place where it was about to lose its place as a lampstand. The idea of a master suddenly coming to judge his servants was used by Jesus in his parable of the returning householder (Luke 12:36ff). Similarly, the letter of James (5:9) urges believers to live in love because the Judge is standing at the door. In this letter to the Laodiceans, Jesus has already warned them that unless they repent he will spew them out of his mouth. But here he comes with a last call of mercy, offering grace to any within the church who will let him into their fellowship.

Jesus begins with a call to them to pay attention. The imperative verb ‘behold’ does not mean here to gaze with wonder; rather it means to cease practising what they were doing and listen to Christ. It is a call of authority, requiring an immediate response. His call is accompanied by repeated knocking. Obviously, it is not a literal knocking on a physical door that is meant. It is a demand for access to their fellowship.

Jesus comes to the church looking for repentance in its members. Their repentance will be evidenced by their opening the door and letting him in, that is, acknowledging that he is the Sovereign of the church.

Jesus’ words indicate that only some of the church will respond to his command. But if some were to do so, their response would prevent divine judgement falling on them. This is a reminder that repentance is an essential Christian activity. Jesus commanded the members of the churches in Ephesus (2:5), Pergumum (2:16), Thyatira (2:21-23), Sardis (3:3) and Laodicea to repent of their sins.

What does it mean for a Christian to repent? Matthew Henry describes it in this way: ‘They must repent. They must be inwardly grieved and ashamed for their sinful declension; they must blame themselves, and shame themselves, for it, and humbly confess it in the sight of God, and judge and condemn themselves for it.’

A clear biblical example of repentance by believers is that of the church in Corinth. Their response is described by Paul in 2 Corinthians 7:9-11: ‘Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done’ (NIV).

A Christian needs to repent because he has sinned against the suffering Christ. Repentance will come when the backsliding believer recalls what the Saviour went through on his behalf on Calvary. The remembering of his atoning sufferings lead to renewed commitment.

But the Christian also needs to repent because he has sinned against the sovereign Christ. When he was converted, the believer confessed gladly that Jesus was his Lord. But by living an undedicated life, he lost the confidence that comes from serving such a wonderful Master. He will recall the spiritual blessings he has foregone because of his coldness and lethargy. But the knowledge that his Sovereign is the King of grace who delights in mercy gives him hope that repentance will result in restoration.

Further the Christian needs to repent because he has sinned as a son of God, as a member of his family. When he believed in Jesus, the believer was not only justified but also adopted, given a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. His failure to develop a healthy spiritual state is a spiritual snub to the God of all grace and the God of all comfort, the gracious heavenly Father. But as he is brought to see himself in his spiritual poverty, he will recall the plenty of his Father’s house and will arise and return to his gracious Father. And what a wonderful welcome he will get.

In addition, a Christian needs to repent of his sin because that sin grieved the Holy Spirit. The response of the Spirit to the sins of his people is one that should stagger us, if we were not accustomed to the words. To grieve is to be very sorrowful. The Holy Spirit is sensitive as far as our sins are concerned, and they disappoint him greatly.

These reasons indicate why the sins of Christians are so serious. The reality is that unless God took the initiative and drew us back to himself we would not return. How thankful the penitent Laodiceans would have been for the grace of the sovereign Saviour, for the restoring ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the tender mercy of the Father.

This divine response to the sins of his people should make us not only value repentance but also engage in it with a measure of spiritual joy. One of the Puritans, whose name I forget, said on his deathbed, ‘Farewell, sweet repentance.’ He had found it to be a profound and heavenly experience. Repentance is not a negative feature of a Christian’s life.

5. The comfort of Christ

In his promises to the overcomer, Jesus refers to both present and future blessings. We have already noted that the overcomer is a term that describes the person who has a warm, living faith in Jesus.

To those penitent believers who welcome him into their midst Jesus gives a wonderful promise. Their spiritual restoration means that once again he is the provider of their spiritual food. Jesus uses the imagery of a meal to illustrate the spiritual warmth and intimacy that exists between him and his restored disciples. What ideas come to mind through this imagery of a shared meal?

The obvious one is that of friendship. Jesus delights in giving spiritual provision to his friends, that is, his people. In John 15:13-14, Jesus mentioned two features of this amazing friendship between the Son of God and sinners. On their part, what is required is obedience, and repentance is an evidence of obedience. On his part, what he does is reveal to them all that the Father has made known to him. This is what he will do for us as our Friend – he will reveal the Father’s love, the Father’s care, indeed all that the Father has for his people.

Secondly, the imagery of a meal suggests provision that will result in spiritual fruitfulness. The grace that Jesus gives to his restored people will transform their characters from those who were backsliding and lukewarm to those who will be dedicated and increasing in spiritual stature. Their lives will display the fruit of the Spirit.

Thirdly, attendance at the meal by those who once were backslidden is a reminder that even for such faithfulness is still possible. This is made clear in the promise that Jesus gives to the overcomer in verse 21. What amazing grace! Those who were indifferent to his claims, but who repented of it, will share the throne of Jesus. They can still live for his glory and receive his eternal blessing when the new world dawns, the blessing of sharing his sovereign rule over the new heavens and new earth.

Application

Although the letter was sent to a specific church, it was also sent to other congregations. The inclusion of the seven letters within the book of Revelation indicates that the other six churches also read Christ’s message to a particular church. Further, the closing formula of each letter, ‘He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,’ also reveals that the contents of the letter applied to others. So it is legitimate to use this passage of scripture to assess our individual state of soul, the condition of our local congregation, and the spiritual vitality of our denomination.

First, there is reality of the Saviour’s searching of the churches. This means that he searches our congregation. As I mentioned previously, there is the possibility that some of the church members were not true Christians. And that possibility exists for us as well. While from one perspective it is a frightening matter that Jesus is the searcher of our fellowship, from another perspective it is an opportunity for realism. We should join with the Psalmist and ask the Lord to search us to see if there is wicked ways in us. Our prayer should be for spiritual reality.

Second, there is the danger of a congregation being blinded spiritually by materialism. This is an obvious feature of life in the Western world and it would be foolish to imagine that we are not affected by materialism and the desire for more and better possessions. These things can take first place in our lives, and will be evidenced by lukewarmness in our devotion to Jesus.

Third, there is the comprehensive restoration that is given to believers when they repent of their sins. Restoration involves fellowship with each person of the Trinity. Forgiveness from God is a precious reality that opens the way to rich experiences of divine grace.

Fourthly, there is a similarity between the Christian’s need of repentance and the unconverted person’s need of repentance. If you are an unbeliever, you are commanded by God to repent (Acts 17:30). He is your Sovereign whose laws you have broken; Jesus is the Saviour whose sacrifice for sin you have ignored and whose authority you have resisted; the Holy Spirit may have often spoken to your heart about your sin. You may try and avoid your responsibility by suggesting that until God comes to you in grace you will not be able to repent. But if you are serious about having forgiveness for your sins, remember that Jesus is exalted as King in order to give repentance (Acts 5:31). So ask him for it now.